Capercailzie, capercaillie, or cock of the wood, is the wood grouse (Tetrao urogallus), the largest of the gallinaceous birds of Europe, weighing from 9 to 12 Ibs. In the male the neck and head are ashy black, the wings and shoulders brown with small black dots, the breast variable green, the belly black with white spots, the rump and flanks black with zigzag lines of an ashy colour, and the tail-feathers black, with small white spots near their extremities. The female, about one-third less than the male, is striped and spotted with red or bay, black and white, and has the feathers of the head, breast, and tail of a more or less ruddy hue. It is common in northern Asia, in parts of Russia, and throughout Scandinavia. For some time it was almost or wholly extinct in Great Britain, but was successfully re-introduced during the 19th century. Research Capercailzie
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Abbreviations
Nature
Research Capercailzie
